Hot mill catcher



G. HARTILL, SR

HOT MILL CATCHER Feb. 6, 1934.

Filed Nov. 12, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l will m 1Q L M T M TV. L m L m 1 Svmw, mw, Th?, RJ, w 5%/ HI, www mw #356% Q. m No mh \w\ G. HARTILL, SR

HOT MILL CATCHER Feb. 6, 1934.

Filed Nov. l2, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m@ ww Feb. 6,l 1934.

G. HARTILL, SR

HOT MILL GATCHER 5 sheets-sheet 3 Filed NOV. l2, 1931 lwenfor:

G50/765 HQE TML 5R.

y M v Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES HOT lVIILL CATCHER GeorgeHartill,

Sr., Gary, Ind.

Application November 12, 1 31 Serial No. 574,614

2 Claims.

This invention. relates to hot mill catchers and more particularly tohot mill catchers for tin mills and the like, such as shown anddescribed 'in United States Patent No. 1,767,574, issued to DarioBuccicone on June 24, 1930.

The object of this invention is to provide a stop or holding device forretaining the hot sheets or packs at the top of the mill until theoperator has had time to break down the corners of the pack or is readyto grip the packs or sheets in readiness for another pass through themill.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan of a catcher constructed in accordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line III- III of Figure1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation or" the deiiveryend of the catcher.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation taken on the line V--V of Figure 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letters A and Bdesignate the upper and lower rolls of a hot mill.

The catcher of this invention comprises a wheeled frame C having upperside members 2 and extension side plates 3 and 3a at its forward end.The extension side plates 3 and 2?a are spaced vertically so as toprovide clearance along the path of travel of the sheets or packs, andthereby permit the catcher to handle maximum width sheets or packs fromthe mill.

A pair of pinch-rollers 4 and 5 are journaled in suitable bearings 6 and7 in the side plates 3 and S'd respectively, and are adapted to receivethe plates as they pass from between the mill rolls A and B. A secondset of pinch-rollers 8 and 9 is journaled in bearings 10 and 12,respectively, in side plates 3b which connect the side plates 3 and 3a.The upper bearings 6 and 10 for the upper roller of said pairs ofpinch-rollers are spring pressed so as to permit the plates to passtherebetween. The upper roller 8 of said second pair of pinch-rollers islimited in its movement toward the roll by a block 8a so as to maintainsaid rollers in spaced relation.

A compound wound motor 14 is mounted on the frame C and is provided witha pinion 15 which meshes with a gear 16 on a drive shaft 17. A sprocket18 is mounted on the shaft 17 and is connected with a sprocket 19 on thelower pinchroller 5 by a chain 20 so as to normally drive the roller 5in a clockwise direction. The upper pinch-roller 4 is in frictionalengagement with the roller 5 so that the roller 4 will be driven in acounter-clockwise direction. The roller 4 is provided with a drivesprocket 2l which is connected to a sprocket 22 on a rear roller 23 by achain 24. The roller 23 is of the disk type and is journaled in xedbearings in side plates 3 and is adapted to aid in conveying the sheetsor packs over the rolls when they are returned by the catcher.

The roller 23 is provided with a second sprocket 25 which is connectedby a chain 26 with a sprocket 27 on the upper pinch-roller 8.

From the above it will be readily seen that the single motor 14 servesto drive the pair of pinch-rollers 4 and 5, the conveying or platereturn roller and theupper roller 8 of the pair of pinch-rollers 8 and9.

Guide plates 29 are mounted between the pairs of pinch-rollers and serveto support the hot sheets or packs as they pass from one pair ofpinch-rollers to the other. Other guide. plates 30 are mounted on across member 30a of the frame C and serve to support the hot sheets orplates as they pass from the pinch-rollers 8 and 9.

A single conveying roller composed of a shaft 3l having disks 32 securedthereon is journaled in bearings 33 adjacent the forward ends of sidemembers of the frame C. A jackshaft 34 is journaled on the frame C belowthe single conveying roller and has a sprocket 35 and gear 35 securedthereon. The sprocket 35 is connected by a drive chain 37 to a sprocket38 on the drive shaft 17 and the gear 36 is meshed with a gear 39 on theshaft 31 oic the conveying roller, whereby said roller is operated bythe motor i4 which drives the pinch-rollers 4 and 5, and 8 and 9.

A conveying table E composed of side members 40 and transverse members41 is provided with a trunnion shaft 42 intermediate its ends which isjournaled in bearings 43 secured to the frame side members 2. Aplurality of conveyer rolls Y are arranged in spaced relation along theside members 40 of the table E and are composed of shafts 44 journaledin bearings 45 of the table side members 40, which shafts have disks 46secured thereon.

A reversing motor 47 is mounted on the frame C and has its armatureshaft provided with a pinion 48 which is meshed with a gear 49 on ajackshaft 50 journaled on the frame C. The shaft 50 is in verticalalinement with the trunnion shaft 42 o' the table E.

A pair of jackshafts 51 and 52 extend transversely of and are journaledin the side memfoo estV

bers 40 of the table E. The shafts 51 and 52 are respectively spaced anequal distance from the opposite sides of the trunnion 42.

The shafts 50, 51 and 52 are provided with sprockets 53, 54 and 55,respectively, which are connected by a drive chain 56. The shafts 51 and52 are provided with other sprockets 57 and 58, respectively, which areconnected with sprockets 59 and 60 secured to the roller shafts 44adjacent the shafts 51 and 52 by chains 6l and 62. f

All of the conveyer roller shafts are provided with sprockets 63 whichare connected by chains 64 so that all of the rollers Y will rotate inunison in the same direction.

The motor 47 is adapted to normally rotate in a direction to rotate theshafts 50, 5l and 52 and the rollers Y in a counterolockwise or forwarddirection toward the mill. Therefore, the chain 56 will be tensionedbetween the sprockets 53 and 54 and will pull down the forward end ofthe table E. When a sheet or pack has reached its full length it willcause the motor 47 to be reversed by automatic control mechanismincluding the switch 69. This mechanism forms no part of this invention,and will not be further discussed.

When the motor 47 is reversed the tension of the chain 56 will betransferred to the point between the sprockets 53 and 55. This transferof the tension point of the chain 56 will rock the table E in reversedirection so as to position it substantially on a horizontal plane, thusfacilitating the discharge of the first length of sheets or packs fromthe table.

With the table in its normal position, that is,-inolined forwardly ortoward the mill, the sheets o-r packs, when they are delivered from thebite of the pinch-rollers 8 and 9 onto the conveyor rollers Y of thetable E, will be reversed or fed forwardly by the oonveyer rollers Yover the rollers 8, 23 and 4 onto the top roll A of the mill and, due tothe constant operation of these rollers and mill roll in acounterclockwise direction, the plates will be conveyed over the millunless stopped or retained by the means to be now described.

In order to prevent the automatic delivery of the sheets or packs overthe mill I provide a retaining mechanism consisting of a Ipair ofretarding bars which are provided with a pair of lugs 7l adapted tostraddle brackets 73 mounted on the top guide plate 29 of the catcherand pivoted or swiveled on pins 72 secured in the brackets 73. The lugs71 are mounted at a point slightly forward from their horizontal centerso that the portion of the bars 70 to the rear of the lugs 71 willnormally overbalance the portion of the bars forward of the lugs 71 andthereby tilt the forward portions of the bars upwardly. The bars 70 liebetween the disks of the roller 23 and have their rear ends curved so asto normally lie below the roller 8 and have their forward ends curvedupwardly and forwardly to form a substantial cam-like surface 75normally extending into the line of travel of the sheets or packs beingmoved forwardly by the rollers 8, 23 and 4 in their return over themill.

As the sheets or packs move forwardly over the rollers 8, 23 and 4 theirforward edges will engage the curved surface 75 of the bars 70 so as toforce said bars to tilt or rock about the pins 72 so as to cause therear ends of said bars to move upwardly while their forward curved endsmove downwardly, thus raising the sheets or packs from engagement withthe rollers 8, 23 and 4 and retarding or stopping the forward movementof the sheets or packs in such a position that their forward ends willbe suspended over the top roll A of the mill. The sheets or packs willbe retained in this position until the roller or operator has hadsufficient time to break down the pack and to grip the sheets or packsso as to pull them over the mill for another pass through the mill.

In order to retain the bars 70 in their normal position stop lugs 76 areprovided to the real1` of the lugs 7l and are adapted to engage thebrackets 73, thereby limiting the downward rocking movement of the rearportions of the bars While I have shown and described one specificembodiment of my invention it will be understood that I do not wish tobe limited thereto, since various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

l. In a hot mill catcher, means for conveying the sheets or packs backover the mill, a pair of retarding bars pivotally mounted on saidcatcher at a point adjacent the mill, said bars being positioned belowthe line of travel of the sheets being conveyed back over'the mill forthe major portion of their length, and the forward or mill ends of saidbars being projected upwardly into the path of travel of the sheets,said bars being adapted to be engaged by said sheets and rocked abouttheir pivotal mounting so as to lift said sheets from said conveyingmeans as said sheets approach the delivery point over the mill.

2. In a hot mill catcher, means for conveying the sheets or packs backover the mill, at least one `retarding bar pivotally mounted on saidcatcher, said bar being positioned for a maj or portion of its lengthbelow the line of travel of the sheets being returned over the mill andhaving its forward or mill end curved upwardly into the path of travelof the sheets, the sheets being returned over the mill being adapted toengage the curved forward end of said bar and to rock saidbar about itspivotal mounting so as to lift said sheets out of engagement with saidconveying means as said sheets approach the delivery point over themill.

GEORGE HARTILL, SR.

